Radio's Journey from AM to AI

World Radio Day rolls around every year on February 13th, a nod to everyone involved in this incredible medium—their talent, their grit, and the big plans for its future. It’s a day that celebrates radio’s knack for staying relevant, always adapting to whatever tech the era throws at it. Back in 2011, UNESCO declared it, and the UN General Assembly gave it the green light, marking the anniversary of the UN’s very first radio broadcast in 1946—a shoutout especially to how radio brings education, info, and entertainment to the farthest corners of the world. Here we are in 2026, toasting radio’s wild ride from those crackly AM waves to broadcasts whipped up by AI wizardry. It’s had its ups and downs through the decades, sure, but like a phoenix, radio’s reinvented itself—from bulky radio sets to tuners, car radios to pocket-sized ones, mobile phone apps to streaming services, always right on the pulse of what people want.

It all kicked off in the late 19th century when Marconi cracked wireless communication. In 1895, he sent the first radio signal over a mile; by 1901, transatlantic broadcasts were real, changing global connections forever. Voice broadcasts followed fast: Reginald Fessenden’s 1906 Christmas Eve show mixed music and speech, leaving ships at sea stunned. The 1920s were the “golden age”—America’s first commercial stations launched, NBC started in 1926, CBS in 1927, and by 1930, 60% of U.S. homes had radios. World War II turned radio into a journalism powerhouse. Post-war, Edwin Armstrong’s 1933 FM invention—with its clear, stereo sound—overtook AM by the 1960s. The 1970s brought NPR in 1971, giving diverse voices a platform. Then the ’90s internet boom hit with streaming and podcasts. Today, algorithms craft playlists, weather-adaptive smart systems tweak shows on the fly, robot voices handle everything from news to promos and themed songs—AI’s woven into every bit of it. Still, we can’t ignore the big question: can we truly bond with this friend of the airwaves through robotic tones, or does it take a living, breathing human voice to spark that real magic?

Today’s generation, glued more to ChatGPT or Gemini chats than family chats, might embrace this shift wholeheartedly. But for listeners hooked on traditional radio, nothing beats a real person’s curiosity, warmth, and quirks on air. Platforms like Spotify and Alexa blend radio with on-demand AI smarts, and globally, over 75% of folks tune in weekly.

In Pakistan, FM 100 launched in 1994 in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, pulling in urban youth with live shows thanks to private sector push. PEMRA’s 2002 rules eased up, issuing 22 licenses; by 2020, nearly 200 commercial FM stations and 60 community or campus ones were up and running. Gallup surveys peg national listenership at about 10%, jumping to nearly 39% among urban, educated youth. Ad revenue hit 2.8 billion rupees by 2016.

Pakistani stations have gone digital, but AI adoption lags—slow and half-hearted. Fair point: in a TV-obsessed country, how much AI is TV even using? Why dream big for radio when change feels out of reach? Elsewhere, news tickers, shifting weather updates, and mood-based playlists run automatically. TV dominates, sure, with radio at just 10% listenership—but hey, an FM set for 200 rupees is cheap, accessible, and reaches everywhere.

On World Radio Day 2026, with AI’s message everywhere, we’re optimistic about blending this ancient medium with fresh innovation. It’s certain: sooner or later, radio will rise again.